A - Noticeably clear and dark Teddy Bear brown in color though the pour, this stout an inky jet black in the snifter. A fast-forming mocha head piles on the beer but disappears just as quickly, doting the glass in fine points of lace.

S - Thick and rich, this starts fluffy and cuddly with an open smoothness. Cold espresso and mellow cocoa nibs expand the depth of the roasted malt aroma. Suggestions of gentle sangria-soaked raisin and dried prune rise in the background as it warms.

T - The aroma is big and bold but doesn't quite foreshadow just how intensely roasted the malt is. Charred oak, a waft of peat smoke, and bitter, strong espresso come together for an assaulting first few sips. Soothing alcohol sets in and cocoa nibs turned milk chocolate and dark fruit esters follow.

M - Teddy Bear Kisses is creamy and smooth with a voluptuous, full body and chewy feeling that sticks around throughout the duration as roasted bitterness kicks in and adds a very dry, gritty finish. Lingering alcohol warmth encourages some sweetness to emerge for balance which is quite a nice attribute in the colder months.

O - The label poses a contradiction; cute and cuddly name with a dark and ominous image. The beer mirrors said label with a smooth and inviting aroma with deep malt complexity that shifts to an aggressive flavor and feel for an intriguing and complex stout - I enjoy the twist. Upland does a great job at keeping the booziness of bigger stouts at bay while letting their warmth show through; the perfect compliment to a long, cold day.

T: Hmmm. This beer reminds me more of a Baltic Porter, than is does an Imp Stout. I get a big raisin presence right away. The chocolate notes filter through, but it has this salty and bitter characteristic that make me think Baltic. I like it, but it might not be for everyone.

M: Full bodied beer. It's thick and chewy, but it's never overly coating. The flavors dance on the palate, but they don't stick around for the last dance.

O: This beer is better than people give it credit for. I think it is just simply mis-categorized. The booze is hidden, and the smoldering char is subtle. That's how I like my stouts. Consider me a fan.

A:Pours a non transparent oil black with a fingers worth of tan head that slowlyfalls leaving very nice lacing down the glass.

S:Nose picks up pleasant roasty malts, chocolate, vanilla, and some molasses in the mixas well. Very inviting and pleasing.

T:Flavor is just as the nose detects, roasty malts up front and in the middle leading intothe backend where chocolate and vanilla start to dominate the palate. Some hops alsomake their way in on the backend. Very nicely balanced but just enough to still let the individual flavors come thru.

M:A solid body is on this one with ample carbonation, palate is left very moist with a nice coating of chocolate that lingers on the tongue. A very small hint of alcohol is in there but for the most part very well hidden.

D:There has been a lot of hyped talked around this and I was pretty excited to try it andI was not disappointed. Rich and complex flavor that goes down very smoothly and very easy for the ABV. This is one I could drink all night long and probably get myself in trouble doing so. Seek this one out.

Pours jet black with a small beige head with good retention and nice lacing.

Aroma features heavy amounts of chocolate and espresso with a bit of a toffee sweetness.

Creamy chocolate is the first flavor I pick up followed quickly by a rush of espresso. Definitely some roasted coffee astringency, but for a beer this high on the IBU scale, it's not terribly bitter.

Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Almost feels like it was poured on nitro. Lowish carbonation.

A wonderful surprise. I don't remember digging this nearly as much out of the bottle, but on tap it was sublime. Don't know if they tweaked the recipe this year or if there is that much difference between tap and bottle. I'll definitely be buying a bottle to compare. Very smooth and creamy and if I weren't responsible for driving, would have drank this all night.

Poured from 22oz bottle. Been looking forward to this beer for a while.

A- Pours a black as night color. No light getting through this beer at all! One and a half finger brown head shows good retention for a higer ABV beer. This kind of caps the beer and nice streaky lacing on the sides of the glass.

S- Roasted malts are the first to show up in the nose. There is a bitter chocolate that shows through the entire aroma. A hint of darker fruits which show up more when the beer warms more. A light sweetness tends to do the same as the darker fruits with the temperature rising. A hint of coffee also in the tail end of the beer puts a perfect end to the aroma.

T- Roasted malts with a hefty dose of bitter bakers chocolate in the front of the beer. There seemed to be a light hop presence in the beer as well in the front which calmed down all the malts for a second. Middle of the beer was more light coffee notes and chocolate molasses thing as well. Ending had some light sweetness with a bitter hop bite which cut through the sweetness. A small dose of coffee in the backend for final flavor in the stout.

M- Heavy mouthfeel. Carbonation is a little light for me but good for the beer leading to the heavier feel. Dark chocolate and roasted malts left on the palate. Light bitter hops and coffee with some alcohol in the aftertaste. Alcohol has heavy drying on the palate. Flavors were balanced overall with little off flavors from blending. Clean tasting through the entire beer.

D- This beer is to me worth the praise that it has been getting. Upland to me is a hit or miss with a lot of their products. They hit the nail on the head with this one. The ABV although high is very well hidden which makes this a dangerous drink to have. I could drink the bomber of this no problem but I would rather split it with a friend.

S: Get a lot of cocoa up front with barley malt and cereal, almost a bran/chocolate muffin kind of smell. Definite hop ester in the nose, very pleasing all with a slight roast.

T: Awesome stout, maybe my favorite chocolate flavored stout I've had. Great RIS bitter roast at back of the palate and milk chocolate sweet front. Some hop bite also, very nice. Excellent sweet roast to bitter ratio. I know its not the biggest taste, but its very good to me.

This pours, ooh yeah, nice and dark and thick and the foam on the top is medium dark caramel color. Admittedly, a bit too cold for the style - about 35F/2C.

Smells sweet and licoricey, come cocoa, it is nice and rich and smooth. [update: it did warm up slightly, and some coffee scent came through...]

Tastes of licorice, chocolate and there is a tawny bitterness, perhaps molassis? There is a slight edge on the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is rich and creamy. I did pour this very slow, though.

Nice rich body to this, as you would expect with the style.

Alcohol is hidden well.

It is quite drinkable, but, of course, it is to be sipped.

This is a great beer. It represents the style well, with enough personality to give it a try for its uniqueness. Though I'm sipping it, I like it enough to sip so fast that I never got a chance to let it warm up!

When I was a kid my favorite book, The Chocolate Touch, was about a kid, John Midas, who loved chocolate so much he was granted/cursed with the wish of turning anything that touched his lips into his favorite treat. Toothpaste, peas, meatloaf and onions instantly lost their lackluster and became that intoxicating flavor so deeply revered. I believe it ended with him kissing his grandmother and, well, you get the idea.

There's a reason why conquering armies win over the admiration of their captive's children with bits of chocolate, it fucking rules! So then, why shouldn't we as consenting adults add our favorite childhood flavor (and let's admit right here that that love never died) to our favorite beverage? We shouldn't!

Upland did it right. They present us with an Imperial Stout that is neither cloying nor deficient of that righteous bean. There is no John Midas touch here. Instead, it is kissed lightly, without being aggressive or greedy. There is a wink at a Turkish coffee sweetness and a bitter hop counterbalance. It is a little boozy at 10.2%, but that hotness waits around the corner until your hand warms the last couple sips. I am very happy that I have another bottle waiting in the cellar.

Served this 22 oz. brown bottle in a Sierra Nevada etched hops glass. Bottled in Sept. 2010. The body was a very dark brown. The head was the star here though. A huge tan head stayed for the whole show. Creamy and decadent lacing was dense.

The taste was creamy sweet chocolate with a light bitterness. There was a milkiness in the flavor. Not cloying at all, very well constructed. Hints of walnuts. Very well hidden alcohol. Extremely drinkable.

The mouthfeel was medium to full bodied. Silky and creamy with spot on carbonation.